Caldecott Medal and Honor Books

< Literary Awards

The Caldecott Medal is one of the most well-known book awards in the United States. It was established in 1937, with the first award given in 1938, and named in honor of the 19th-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. Each year the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), chooses one medal winner and often several honors or runners-up. The award is given to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. Since 1922, a total of over 350 books have been recognized with either the medal or honor award.

Given the Caldecott Medal's prestige it would be easy to assume that the award winners are all excellent books for children. The Biblioguides Team has not found this to be the case. We always want to provide parents with the information they need to make the best book decisions for their families. With that goal in mind, we've put together a complete list of all medal winners and honor books since inception, and the Biblioguides Review Team is working together to read our way through the winners and to provide a review. Where we have not yet reviewed a book, a description directly from the dust jacket or from the publisher has been provided. In some cases, we have shared a brief synopsis from The Newbery and Caldecott Awards: A Guide to the Medal and Honor Books (1999).

Reviews are the thoughts and opinions of the particular reviewer and do not necessarily represent all members of the team. Reviews will continue to be added as the team reads more of the Caldecott books. We hope this list will help you familiarize yourself with the various winners and provide the necessary information to determine which books would be a good fit for your family!

Reviewed by team
Review Team Favorite (book has been read and recommended by three or more members of the review team)
Indicates the book is available on Biblioguides and recommended by the Biblioguides team or one of our partner guides

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Reviews of Caldecott Medal and Honor Books